Automatic car-step.



W. M. HAMILTON. AUTOMATIC CAR STEP.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 24, 1909.

962,832. Patented June 28, 1910.

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W. M. HAMILTON. AUTOMATIC OAR STEP.

APVPLIOATION FILED NOV. 24, 1909.

Patented June 28,1910.

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monsw s. GRAKM cu FNOTO Lmo UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM MILLARD HAMILTON, OF WESTPLAINS, MISSOURI.

AUTOMATIC GAR-STEP.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, lVILLIAM MILLARD HAMILTON, citizen of the UnitedStates, residing at est-plains, in the county of Howell and State ofMissouri, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in AutomaticCar-Steps, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to car steps and has for its object to provide anauxiliary step adapted to be attached to the stationary or permanentsteps of a car for the convenience of passengers entering or leaving thecar, and designed to take the place of the ordinary porters stoolusually employed for this purpose.

A further object of the invention is to provide means for raising andlowering the auxiliary step, and means for supporting said auxiliarystep in elevated position.

A still further object of the invention is generally to improve thisclass of devices so as to increase their utility, durability andefficiency.

Further objects and advantages will appear in the following description,it being understood that various changes in form, proportions and minordetails of construction may be resorted to within the scope of theappended claims.

For a full understanding of the invention and the merits thereof andalso to acquire a knowledge of the details of construction and the meansfor effecting the result, reference is to be had to the followingdescription and accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an end view of a portion of a car provided with an auxiliarystep constructed in accordance with my invention; Fig. 2 is a frontelevation of the same; Fig. 3 is a vertical sectional view showing theauxiliary step in elevated or inoperative position; Fig. l is atransverse sectional view taken on the line 4 :l of Fig. 3 and lookingin the direction of the arrow; Fig. 5 is a detail transverse sectionalview taken on the line 5-5 of Fig. 3.

Corresponding and like parts are referred to in the followingdescription and indicated in all the views of the drawings by the samereference characters.

The improved device forming the subject matter of the present inventionmay be applied to either open or closed vestibule cars and by way ofillustration is shown in con- Specification of Letters Patent. PatentedJune 28, 1910.

Application filed November 24, 1909.

Serial No. 529,793.

nection with an open vestibule car of the ordinary construction in which5 designates the body of the car, 6 the platform, and 7 the permanentsteps leading to the platform.

Depending from the lowermost permanent or stationary step 7 is anauxiliary step, preferably formed in two sections 8 and 9, one of whichconstitutes a riser and is pivotally connected at 10 to the bottom ofthe adjacent permanent step, while the other forms a tread piece and ispivotally connected at 11 withthe riser 8.

Depending from and rigidly secured to the permanent steps 7 by bolts orsimilar fastening devices 12, are spaced hangers 13 provided withterminal bearings 1a in which is journaled a longitudinally disposedshaft 15, there being a brace 16 forming a rigid connection between theshaft 15 and one of the steps 7 in order to assist in supporting saidshaft.

Keyed or otherwise rigidly secured to the intermediate portion of therock shaft 15, is an arm 17 having its free end bifurcated to form aseat for a link 18. One end of the link 18 is pivotally connected at 19with the bifurcated end of the arm 17, while the other end of said linkis pivotally connected with a short rod section or pin 20 carried by apair of strap irons 21 fastened to the rear face of the riser 8. Theopposite ends of the rock shaft 15 are provided with square portions 22,one of which extends within a correspondingly squared socket formed inthe crank arm 23.

Pivotally mounted at 24 on the free end of the crank arm 23, is a rod25, the upper end of which is pivotally connected at 26 with anoperating lever 27. The operating lever 27 is pivotally mounted at 28 onthe adjacent end of the car and is provided with a handle 29 having itsopposite sides formed with grooves or depressions 30 adapted to receivethe spring clamping jaws 31 of a locking member or clip 32, the latterbeing fastened to the adjacent end of the car, as best shown in Figs. 3and 5 of the drawings.

The operating lever, instead of being pivotally mounted on the end ofthe car may be fastened to the side of the car, in which event, thelocking member or clip 32 will also be fastened to the side of the carin position to engage said operating lever.

Extending laterally from one end of the tread piece 9 of the auxiliarystep, is a bar 33 having one end thereof reduced to form a cylindricalportion 34 provided with terminal threads for engagement with a clampingnut 35.

Pivot-ally mounted on the cylindrical portion 3st of the bar 33, is oneend of a short rod section or link 36, the other end of which ispivotally connected at 37 with the intermediate portion of the operatingrod 25.

A lug 38 is secured to or formed integral with the arm 17 and adapted tobear agalnst the upper face of the link 18 when the auxiliary step ismoved to lowered or operative position.

It will here be noted that the hinges 39 connecting the riser and threadof the auxiliary step, are formed with square shoulders 40 adapted tocontact with each other when the thread is in horizontal position, thusto assist in sustaining the weight of the passengers when entering orleaving the car.

Thus it will be seen that by grasping the handle 29 of the operatinglever and moving the latter in the direction indicated by the arrow inFig. 3 of the drawings, the rod 25 will cause the crank arm 23 tooscillate the rock shaft 15, and through the medium of the arm 17 andlink 18, move the riser 8 of the auxiliary step to vertical position. Itwill also be noted that when a downward pull is imparted to theoperating rod 25, the short rod section 36 will force the tread 9outwardly until the shoulders 40 engage each other, thus supporting theauxiliary step beneath the permanent steps of the car and in convenientposition for the passengers to step upon when entering or leaving thecar. When the operating lever 27 is moved in the opposite direction,that is to say to the position shown in Fig. 3 of the drawings, the rod25 will exert an upward pull on the crank arm 23 and cause the arm 17and rod 36 to exert an upward and rearward pull on the auxiliary stepand thus move the latter to elevated or inoperative position beneath thepermanent steps.

It will of course be understood that the auxiliary step may be used inconnection with either open or closed railway coaches or in connectionwith street railway cars if found desirable or applicable, withoutdeparting from the spirit of the invention.

Having thus described the invention, what is claimed as new is:

l. The combination with a car having stationary steps, of an auxiliarystep including a tread and riser, one of which is pivotally connectedwith the stationary steps, a rock shaft having connection with the riserof the auxiliary step and provided with a crank arm, an operating lever,a rod forming a connection between the operating lever and crank arm, arod forming a connection between the first mentioned rod and the treadof the auxiliary step, and means for supporting the auxiliary step inelevated position beneath the stationary steps of the car.

2. The combination with a car having stationary steps, hangers dependingfrom one of the stationary steps and provided with bearings, a rockshaft ournaled in said bearings, an auxiliary step including a tread andriser, one of which is connected with the adjacent stationary step, apin and link connection between the rock shaft and riser of theauxiliary step, an operating lever, a rod forming a connection betweenthe operating lever and crank arm of the rock shaft, and a link forminga connection between the in termediate portion of the rod and the treadof said auxiliary step.

3. The combination with a car having stationary steps, of an auxiliarystep including a tread and riser, one of which is pivotally connectedwith one of the stationary steps, a rock shaft having connection withthe riser of the auxiliary step and provided with a crank arm, anoperating lever, a rod form ing a connection between the operating leverand crank arm, a connection between the rod and tread of the auxiliarystep, said operating lever being provided with oppositely disposedseating grooves, and a socket secured to the car and provided withspring arms adapted to enter the grooves in the operating lever when thelatter is actuated to elevate the auxiliary step.

4:- The combination with a car having stationary steps, of an auxiliarystep pivotally mounted for swinging movement on one of the stationarysteps and including pivotally connected tread and riser sections, a rockshaft having connection with the riser of the auxiliary step andprovided with a crank arm, an operating lever pivotally mounted on thecar and operatively connected with the crank arm, said operating leverbeing provided with oppositely disposed longitudinal seating grooves, aconnection between the lever connecting means and the tread of theauxiliary step and a socket also secured to the car and provided withspring pressed arms adapted to enter the grooves in the operating leverwhen the latter is actuated to move the auxiliary step to elevatedposition.

5. The combination with a car having stationary steps, hangers securedto one of the stationary steps and provided with terminal bearings, arock shaft journaled in said bearings, a brace forming a connectionbetween the rock shaft and another of said stationary steps, a crank armsecured to one end of the rock shaft, an auxiliary step depending fromthe stationary steps and comprising pivotally connected tread and risersections, a pin and link connection between the intermediate portion ofthe rock shaft and the riser section of the auxiliary step, an operatinglever pivotally mounted on the body of the car, a rod forming aconnection between one end of the operating lever and the crank arm, arod forming a connection between the intermediate portion of the lastmentioned rod and the tread portion of the auxiliary step, and a springclip secured to the car and adapted to engage the operating lever whenthe latter is operated to elevate the auxiliary step.

6. The combination with a car having stationary steps, of an auxiliarystep including pivotally connected riser and tread sections, one ofwhich is pivotally connected with the adjacent stationary step, hangersdepending from said stationary steps and provided with bearings, a rockshaft ournaled in said bearings and provided with spaced crank arms, apin and link connection between one of said arms and the riser of theauxiliary step, an operating lever pivotally mounted on the car, a rodforming a connection between the operating lever and the other crank armof the rock shaft, a bar extending lat erally from one end of the treadsection of the auxiliary step, a rod forming a connection between saidbar and the intermediate portion of the first mentioned rod, aprojection on one of the crank arms of the rock shaft and adapted toengage the link when the auxiliary step is in operative position, andmeans engaging the operating lever for retaining said auxiliary step inelevated position.

7. The combination with a car having stationary steps, of an auxiliarystep including a tread and riser, one of which is pivotallyconnectedwith the stationary steps, a rock shaft having connection with the riserof the auxiliary step and provided with a crank arm, an operating lever,a connection between the operating lever and crank arm, a connectionbetween the lever connecting means and the tread of the auxiliary step,and means for supporting the auxiliary step in elevated position.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM MILLARI) HAMILTON. [L- 8.]

' WVitnesses:

R. S. HOGAN,

J O. CARTER.

